1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to data processing apparatus and method which can communicate with various devices connected with a communication medium, and a storage medium which stores a computer-readable program.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, devices such as a PC (personal computer), a printer, a scanner, a digital copying machine and a digital camera have been widespread, and also a network such as a LAN (local area network) has been widespread, whereby the need to share the printer, a modem and an image formation apparatus on the network increases. Thus, by sharing apparatuses and devices on the network, an environment capable of using all of them is in order.
However, there is no method to functionally combine these devices with others, e.g., combining the scanner and the printer with each other to realize a copying function. Further, even if there is such a method of combining the devices, a special device is necessary to perform this method, or only a specific device can perform this method. Thus, such the method is not general.
Further, in addition to such a combination function, a user interface which has satisfactory and excellent operability is aspired after. Here, such the satisfactory-operative user interface is the interface which can flexibly cope with a user""s strong demand to easily perform, without performing any complicated operation to individually input information from each device and then combine each information with others, processing for combining the information input from the device such as the scanner, text and image files stored in a user""s own apparatus and information input from other devices with others in desired order and then outputting the combined information.
An object of the present invention is to provide data processing apparatus and method which solved the above-described problems, and a storage medium which stores a computer-readable program.
Another object of the present invention is to provide data processing apparatus and method which can freely construct a satisfactory and excellent environment in which any complicated operation is not required to a user in case of combining plural data as one data, and a storage medium which stores a computer-readable program.